In Need of Business VoIP? Here are 5 Things to Look For
There are many reasons to go for a business VoIP solution.
Chief among these reasons include the fact that you will enjoy massive savings by using VoIP for your business: research shows that the average business that switches to VoIP can save between 40 – 90 percent on phone bills.
However, how much a VoIP solution costs should not be the only deciding factor when scouting a business VoIP service.
Here are five key things to look out for when looking for a new solution:
1. Security features: Security should be one of the primary factors to pay attention to in a business VoIP solution.
Cost savings are great, but it’s a benefit that can be quickly defeated should hackers get into your VoIP system.
As I explained in my article on protecting a VoIP phone system, a hacked VoIP system can cost your business a lot: a particular business racked up a $166,000 bill in a weekend due to being a victim of toll fraud. That’s 34 years worth of VoIP bills in a single weekend due to hackers getting into its VoIP system and abusing it.
Some of the key security features to watch out for include the availability of a Session Border Controller or SBC (while proprietary SBC can be very expensive, 3CX offers this free to its users), secure SIP, IP Blacklisting, regular updates, and an anti-hacking feature.
2. Unified communications and collaboration: A business VoIP solution is only as powerful as its ability to foster workplace efficiency and productivity; as such, when shopping around, you want to make sure you go with a service that has a focus on unified communications and collaboration.
Some key features you might want to look out for:
- Instant messaging/text chat
- Fax to inbox forwarding
- Audio/Video conferencing and real-time collaboration
- Website Live Chat
- Voicemail to inbox forwarding
3. Third-party integrations: You will only be able to truly enjoy your business VoIP solution if it can be integrated with other solutions your business is using.
Ideally, your VoIP solution should be able to integrate with your CRM, ERP, and accounting system such that calls can be made, logged, and recorded seamlessly in a way that enhances customer satisfaction. For example, when a customer calls in for support, all relevant information about the customer is brought up automatically – this makes it easy to resolve their complaints or issues without having to ask extra questions. Some popular 3CX integrations include Salesforce, Office 365, MS Exchange, Hubspot, and Zendesk.
4. Mobile Apps: Employees often have to be on the move and remote work continues to grown in popularity amongst today’s workforce. You should look for a business VoIP service that your employees can “carry along” with them while on the go.
For example, most quality business VoIP solutions have mobile apps that you can install to ensure the same VoIP experience even when you’re away from the office.
5. Pricing: Pricing shouldn’t be the main factor you hinge your business VoIP decision on, but it’s also very important. VoIP is often associated with reduced phone bill expenses, particularly for businesses, so you shouldn’t have to give an arm and a leg just to use a VoIP solution.
With 3CX, you aren’t necessarily billed more because you have a bigger organization (you shouldn’t be penalized for growing!). Instead, you’re billed based on simultaneous calls rather than per extension (as is the case with a lot of business phone systems). You also enjoy all unified communication features without having to pay extra and without being required to purchase add-ons.
Bamidele Onibalusi is a Google-certified digital marketer and an Hubspot-certified freelance writer with passion for the tech industry. You can follow him on Twitter: @youngprepro.
By Bamidele Onibalusi|September 18th, 2020|https://www.3cx.com/blog/unified-communications/business-voip-five-essential-features/